Wisconsin residents may be interested to know that the state legislature is still pushing forward toward passing several new laws that would drastically change how drunk driving charges are handled. As lawmakers work on the multiple bills they hope to draft them in such a way that the bills have a good chance of making out of the state Senate and Assembly with enough votes to become law.
Among the bills being considered is a bill that would make a person's third and fourth OWI charges felonies. Unlike misdemeanor charges, felony charges can impose significantly more serious potential consequences that can include long jail sentences.
Some lawmakers are still concerned that the costs associated with implementing these potential laws will be high. Considering that these initiatives would require additional funding, some lawmakers have suggested that drunk driving prevention methods utilized in the future may reach beyond incarceration.
Developing plans for rehabilitation that do not revolve around prison may be good for some of the state's repeat drunk driving offenders. Though the penalties associated with the proposed laws are tougher than the penalties currently required under the present legislation, many people who incur multiple drunk driving charges need real help and not just fines and jail time.
As the state waits to see what the legislature will do with these interesting bills, people currently facing drunk driving charges will have to address their legal problems under the enacted laws. Penalties for all drunk driving charges can significantly impact a person's rights regardless of whether it is the person's first or tenth offense. Though there is no guarantee that professional representation will make a person's penalties lighter, lawyers are specially trained to help people work through the judicial system and to reach reasonable resolutions of their charges.
Source: WSAU News, "Work continues on drunk driving bills," Oct. 9, 2013